L.A. in the Rain
by Heather Romero-Kornblum
I never wanted my family to end
I remember how
hopeful
we moved the contents of my son’s life
I anticipated sharing with him again
I imagined him sleeping peacefully
in the sun-drenched room
looking out to hills
Instead, it rained into the apartment
The building hallways lined with buckets and cigarette butts
one of the cats did her business on his bed
as I was left alone
broken spine
too open
with holes that couldn’t be patched
I thought LA was a desert
where I could leave everything outside
Heather Romero-Kornblum is a former academic researcher, returning to poetry after several near-death experiences due to Long Covid. She captures the crumbling of her marriage following her near-death experiences in I’M NOT OVER YOU – the 2025 Four Feathers Press Chapbook Contest winner. She is published in multiple journals and anthologies. https://www.heatherkornbooks.com/
You can read the entire This Makes up the Sky series by visiting: https://womenwhosubmitlit.org/category/the-sky/